1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates generally to medical aids and more particularly to a novel venipuncture site protector.
2. Prior Art:
Intravenous therapy is a medical procedure involving intravenous injection of various liquids into a patient through an intravenous needle (I.V. needle) inserted into the patient's body. The place at which the needle is inserted is referred to in medical terms as the venipuncture site.
In the course of performing such intravenous therapy and otherwise caring for the patient, the venipuncture site and I.V. needle are prone to being bumped or contacted by other objects in a manner which often causes trauma to the endothelial lining of the venal wall, pain, discomfort, and other adverse effects. Elimination of this contact problem is obviously highly desirable if not essential.
A variety of intravenous therapy aids have been devised to eliminate this problem. The prior aids of which we are aware are generally devices for positioning the I.V. needle on the patient and securing the needle in a fixed relationship to the patient. Some aids include a shield for the venipuncture site, examples of such venipuncture site protectors are described in U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,900,026, 3,901,226, and 3,782,377.